Feinstein And Rogers Try To Scare Americans With Ooga Booga Terrorism Threats
from the halloween-was-a-month-ago dept
It appears that the heads of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Mike Rogers, are recognizing that their strategy for keeping their co-dependent relationship with the NSA going is failing and that the American public and an increasingly large segment of Congress no longer believes their bogus claims. Perhaps that's because every time they open their mouths, it takes all of about an hour before many of their claims are completely debunked, if not outright mocked for obviously being bogus. So their latest strategy? To basically yell "Ooga Booga Terrorists!" as loud as they can to try to scare people based on absolutely nothing.Feinstein and Rogers did a little dance on Sunday political TV shows insisting that "the terrorism threat is increasing" and we're all going to die if we stop trying to make sure the NSA actually, you know, respects the Constitution. Asked if we were "safer" now than a year or two years ago, Feinstein kicked off the FUD:
“I don’t think so,” Feinstein replied. “I think terror is up worldwide, the statistics indicate that. The fatalities are way up. The numbers are way up. There are new bombs, very big bombs. Trucks being reinforced for those bombs. There are bombs that go through magnetometers. The bomb maker is still alive. There are more groups than ever. And there is huge malevolence out there.”And Rogers quickly followed:
“I absolutely agree that we’re not safer today for the same very reasons,” he said. “So the pressure on our intelligence services to get it right to prevent an attack are enormous. And it’s getting more difficult.”
Nearly all of the "terrorist" attacks in that original report that Feinstein is obviously relying on, appear to take place in areas that are considered war zones: Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. And, um, I hate to bring this part up, but part of the reason why those are war zones is because, you know, the US invaded both places. This isn't to say that there aren't terrorists out there who would like to attack the US. There clearly are. But it seems highly misleading to make the claims that both Feinstein and Rogers are making here, as the "data" they're talking about don't show any heightened risk in the US at all.
Either way, this whole thing -- having both appear together, both making vague "we're all going to die" statements without any details to back it up combined with an exceptionally misleading use of statistics -- suggests that this is the typical FUD. It's Feinstein and Rogers shouting "terror" in a crowded theater, because they know that they've already lost public opinion on this, and are quickly losing Congress as well.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: dianne feinstein, fud, mike rogers, nsa, surveillance, terrorists
Reader Comments
The First Word
“You don't scream and shout that you must continue your highly controversial program by saying it's actually failed in it's stated mission goal.
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
You don't scream and shout that you must continue your highly controversial program by saying it's actually failed in it's stated mission goal.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Don't point out the gaping hole of logic to these two. You'll make their heads explode.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
Shouldn't the potential for having a self-destructing head get you put on the no-fly list?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
They do not stop terrorism by existing, just like they cannot prevent more terrorism by ramping up surveillance!
Anything active is all about the thing NSA sucks at: Sharing the right information with the right people.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I think they are probably right, at least for state-sponsored terrorism. ...Oh, by state-sponsored I mean US sponsored. TSA terrorism is at an all time high.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There are new bombs
There FTFY
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
Too bad the media isn't interested in doing its job anymore.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Seems like some basic figuring there. I look forward to hearing their new plans going forward. Hopefully, they will remember, whats has been tries, has already been proven to be ineffective, based on their own admission.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
"Just eight private U.S. citizens died in attacks outside the United States in 2012, all in Afghanistan, according to the State Department. In the United States, seven people died in 11 terrorist attacks last year, six of them in a shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin."
"Although terrorism touched 85 countries last year, just three - Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan - suffered more than half of 2012’s attacks (55%) and fatalities (62%)."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
So for all the NSA spying increase so far...
No I won't write that logical fallacy.
In the meantime, the "anyone, anywhere, anytime" spying approach by the NSA certainly dilutes the actual anti-terrorist purpose, effort and resources.
Q.D.E.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sadly, the public at large will eat this w/o question
Why they are still in charge and not been called to account is another problem amongst the many we have daily with people who think they get to run rough shod over the constituency.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Once again, it's worth pointing out...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Once again, it's worth pointing out...
Let's be sporting and narrow it down further. According to the CPSC, 176 Americans died between 2006 and 2010 (that is, 44 a year) specifically by being *crushed by a television*.
Over the same period, being dying from being crushed by dressers/bureaus/etc was 92 (23 a year).
So where's the frantic call for urgent action in moving to glued down or built-into-the-wall furniture?
Source: http://www.cpsc.gov//PageFiles/108985/tipover2011.pdf
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Once again, it's worth pointing out...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Oh shit!
That's us.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Bombs
http://www.yummly.com/recipes/chocolate-bomb
Bombs like these probably kill more Americans than Congress. I nearly had a heart attack just looking at them.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Response to: Anonymous Coward on Dec 2nd, 2013 @ 8:08am
They're the bomb...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Well, who's fault is that? The White House and Congress deciding that they had a right to invade any country in the Middle East because every country nin the Middle East who doesn't do what the White House tells them to do is labeled a terrorist.
Where are the terrorist attacks?
ON September 11th, Osama bin Laden only got lucky. Since then? We had a guy who tried to light his underwear on fire; another guy who tried to catch his shoes on fire and the New York attack where a guy used fertilizer that did not explode and he locked the keys to the car bomb inside the car.
It's like Al Qaeda is outsourcing to Ringling Brothers. This was discovered to be the plot for a new Jim Carey movie.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
This...seems oddly appropriate right now.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
This goes against Obama's narrative
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Better listen
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
shameful
" . Furthermore, if we look at attacks on the US, we find that there have basically been next to none in the US since 2001. You could make the case that 16 people have died in US "terrorist" attacks since 2001 (including the 13 soldiers killed by Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood), but you have to have a very broad definition of terrorism to do so."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: shameful
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: shameful
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: shameful
The Boston bombing did not have that purpose.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: shameful
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: shameful
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: shameful
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: shameful
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Stop that!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
what is to say the same thing isn't being done by the NSA, just to keep their funding? those like the two mentioned in this post, i am sure, will go to whatever ridiculous lengths they can think of to validate their equally ridiculous and baseless claims. these two are, like the majority of the USG, more interested in not admitting to being wrong then saving face, by stopping spreading bullshit and getting on with real prevention! when you are in a position of power, you can do almost what you like and get evidence fabricated to back you up. sooner or later though, the truth comes out. the ones concerned may easily have passed on by then but the poor fuckers they leave behind are then the ones to face the music! meaning, they are as selfish and thoughtless in death as they are in life!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hey Rogers...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
We call them taser-wielding police officers, zero brains and zero tolerance school faculty, politicians who think.the Constitution is a vague suggestion, college professors who think that free speech is some figment of someone's imagination...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Statistics don't lie
Americans are more likely to be homicide victims in their own homes or cities than by being bombed by some unknown terrorist.
The numbers? Try 12,765 for 2012.
Source:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012
How many terrorist attacks in the US were there? With how many victims?
The numbers are rather skewed, huh?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If we want to get rid of these unjustified claims of terrorism, we should get rid of all the open questions regarding 9/11 and find out how those 3 buildings really came down.
Look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddz2mw2vaEg
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There goes this discussion...
Do us a favor, Thom, please: go away and take your meds.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: There goes this discussion...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: There goes this discussion...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: There goes this discussion...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: There goes this discussion...
Maybe it is time to start to listen to some of the tin foil hatters, seems they might just be onto something
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: There goes this discussion...
Indeed we might...
http://www.odeion.org/cruisemissile
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Maybe someone should ask Senator Lindsey Graham what happened to that "missing" nuclear warhead that was secretly transferred to South Carolina sans any paperwork and precisely at the same time he began spouting about how Iran was going to attack us with, get this, a nuclear warhead.
False. Flag.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
Senator Graham warned that if we didn't strike Syria, terrorists might strike Charleston Harbor in South Carolina with a nuke. This occurred a short while after it was reported that there was a secret nuke transfer from Dyess Air Force Base to South Carolina.
http://news.yahoo.com/general-charge-icbms-fired-171402375--politics.html
Incidentally, a few days later, Maj. Gen. Michael Carey and Vice Adm. Tim Giardina, both responsible for overseeing ICBMs, were both fired, allegedly over issues involving personal conduct.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2454875/Air-Force-general-Michael-Carey-fired-loss-t rust.html
And get this: Michael Carey's replacement is Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, whom people are speculating is a dual US/Israeli citizen. No conflict of interest there, I'm sure.
There's been an unprecedented purging of our military as of late. Some service members have revealed that there's something of an unofficial litmus test where they're being asked whether they'd be willing to fire upon US citizens.
You figure the rest out.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
So we can expect another conveniently timed 9/11 style attack to justify the NSA's existence and provide a convenient casus beli to attack Iran/Syria. Strictly not engineered by the USA ofc, pinky swear!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
One has to wonder whose script Seantor Graham was reading from, because whoever told him to say that is more than likely the same source giving Feinstein and the other subversive Constitution-haters their marching orders.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
And here you can read what is actually behind all this:
http://www.newsofinterest.tv/video_pages_flash/politics/misc_neocon_globalist/wolfowitz_pnac_np h.php
How clear can it get? Here another one from 2002:
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/nc-pilger.html
Who asked for evidence for what? There is not a single shred of real, science based evidence that support the official story. All crime scenes were cleaned and removed BEFORE investigations started. That is evidence in itself. There were 86 cameras in the direct environment of the Pentagon. FBI took all the tapes within the hours after impact. The very few frames that were released only after great legal pressure, don't show us a Boeing. On the contrary: it shows that there was no Boeing involved! A pilot was asked by air traffic control to fly over the Pentagon to have a look. He said: there is lot of smoke, but I don't see any remains of a large plain. This is recored on official tapes and therefor are official evidence.
People, just believe your own eyes and common sense. There is not ANY piece of hard evidence which confirms the official story. There IS evidence that the official story is not correct.
If the 'terrorism' argument will be busted, you can bet on it that a new false flag operation will be constructed (and probably is underway allready, because US gov is loosing credibilty rapidly).
We should not ask ourselves 'who did it'. We should just ask 'what happened'.
You, American people, have to insist for a new investigation. It is the government who should come up with sound evidence that scientifically supports their story, instead of using Hollywood methods of putting fraudulent frames and stories into our heads.
The truth is staring at us. The wounds will never heal if you keep ignoring it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- symmetric free fall in own footprint? (impossible with regular office fires)
- explosives found in the dust and metal pieces? (NIST never looked at explosives because they didn't expect them to find them) What?????
- 100rds of first responders who report explosions (completely ignored by 9/11 commission and not mentioned in the official report) What??????
This IS the evidence which is being ignored. You do the same and that is the reason why all those lies and false flags by your government and their allies are kept being used to expand power and control through mass surveillance.
Your response is the exactly why a new investigation is needed.
These are my final comments on this topic. All the best, God Bless America...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Response to: Thom on Dec 2nd, 2013 @ 1:43pm
Why do I need to proceed past your first fallacy?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Response to: Thom on Dec 2nd, 2013 @ 1:43pm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Response to: Thom on Dec 2nd, 2013 @ 1:43pm
As for the Pentagon, I'd like to see even the most experienced airline pilot successfully navigate a Boeing 747 into its side while avoiding all trees, poles, etc. Yeah, right.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Response to: Thom on Dec 2nd, 2013 @ 1:43pm
It was a fire in an office. What else would you suggest it should be called but an "office fire"? It was certainly no towering inferno such as has occurred elsewhere on several occasions but which has NEVER caused the collapse of any steel-framed high-rise building.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Response to: Thom on Dec 2nd, 2013 @ 1:43pm
Btw: 3 airplanes hijacked, one of them is destroyed before teh terrorism events. Coincidentally 3 buildings are destroyed, two with flimsy explanation, one (building 7) with even weaker one.
I find the official explanation to be true is possible the same way winning the lottery 10 times in a row is possible. Mathematically it is "possible", but quite improbable.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Response to: Thom on Dec 2nd, 2013 @ 1:43pm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hey, remember that story? An immature child gets his kicks by lying to people that something bad is happening, he quickly loses all credibility, and then nobody believes him when something bad really does happen?
So, the NSA and co. have been lying to everyone about terrorists, and at this point they've pretty much lost all credibility...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
The NSA has been hoist by its own petard. For if, as its apologists claim, those who have nothing criminal or otherwise masturbatory to hide have nothing to fear from intrusive surveillance then those who refuse to be surveilled, such as the NSA, must have many hideous crimes (but no masturbation, of course ;-) to hide; and everything's up for grabs, including 9/11 and the assassination of JFK.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
it's a family affair
The terrorism threat is somewhat substantial, but overwhelming circumstantial evidence indicates that it is being sponsored by those who profit from all of the military contracts and NSA spying contracts. The corporate fascist dictatorship which they are building should be much more frightening, and this is exactly what Eisenhower warned about in his farewell address. By the way, did you know that Snowden's former employer and NSA spying subcontractor Booz Allen Hamilton is almost tied for the number 2 position in contract awards for ObamaCare data processing?
http://about.bgov.com/2013-10-24/late-it-cash-surge-foreshadowed-health-law-woes/
Did you know that Booz Allen Hamilton is primarily owned by the Carlyle Group, which has financial ties to the Bush and Bin Laden families (which brought you the war in Iraq and warrantless mass surveillance)? Did you know the Bin Laden family is intimately connected with the Saudi royal family--formerly Iraq's main competitor in the oil business? Did you know the PATRIOT Act which established this domestic spying apparatus was written before 9/11 and the people who wrote it and voted for it are now reaping fantastic profits from that, just as they are from this permanent state of war? It's all just one big happy family of psychopaths bent on world domination! (Or as George Carlin was fond of saying: "It's a big club, and you aint in it!")
40% of global economy controlled by 147 corporations – all owned by the same people
http://21stcenturywire.com/2013/10/03/whistleblower-karen-hudes-how-the-global-elite-rule-the- world/
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/who-controls-the-money-an-unelected-unaccountable- central-bank-of-the-world-secretly-does
http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/economics/item/15473-wo rld-bank-insider-blows-whistle-on-corruption-federal-reserve
http://iraqforsale.org/
Operation Northwoods revisited: if at first you dont succeed...
PNAC planned Iraq war; World Bank superficially linked to PNAC "new Pearl Harbor" false flag terrorism through Wolfowitz membership in both
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfowitz_Doctrine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_Ne w_American_Century#.22New_Pearl_Harbor.22
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_C._Blum#Controversy
[ link to this | view in chronology ]